Ltd
Newsletter
2013 Issue 02
Above (left to right): Linda Broom and Daniel Gowland with radio tracking gear to follow the 10 collared New Holland mice. Radio collared New Holland mouse ready for release. New Holland mouse foraging after release at Mulligan’s Flat. Photos courtesy Fred Ford. Tawny Frogmouth: a natural predator of native rodents. Photo courtesy Michael Howard.
New Holland Mice Return to Mulligan’s Flat Designing a radio collar for a native mouse is one of those jobs that sounds like a joke. Yet in a world where mice are disappearing, and where locating a small group or an individual animal can help save them from extinction, radio collars are vitally important. Rodent radio collars are designed to handle soft fur, almost no neck, and a very active life style. They enable experts like Dr Linda Broome to follow tiny animals and discover where they nest, what they eat, how they socialise and how well they adapt to new territory. On the last Sunday of October 2013, 10 tiny native mice from the STAR program (Saving
What’s Inside… • Dingo: Sinner to Saviour • Leadbeater’s possum unlikely to survive • Brush-tailed Possum in SA • Possum Facts • Devil Ark • Banded Hare-wallaby
Threatened Australian Rodents, a FAME priority project) were fitted with miniature radio collars and released into the safety of Mulligan’s Flat Woodland Sanctuary in the ACT. 10 un-collared mice were released at the same time. These animals – endangered New Holland mice – are pioneers. Even though native rodents were once abundant in every Australian ecosystem, nowadays they are disappearing along with their role as fungus and seed eaters and dispersers, and as a food source for other animals. Mulligan’s Flat’s newest residents are checked every day, and to date 39 out of 40 animals are happily adjusting to a life of freedom. They have already paired up and will soon produce a new generation to fully colonise the sanctuary. More captive bred mice will be added as soon as they are available.
A fresh mouse is on the wish list of all native Australian predators, as nature intended. Native mice colonise aquatic and tidal habitats, the rainforests of North Queensland, rocky outcrops in northern Australia and a small region of Central Australia, the eucalypt woodlands of northern Australia, and deserts and semi-desert regions. Even the alpine region of south-eastern Australia has a species of specialised native rodent: the broadtoothed rat that lives under the snow in winter. The New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) is the smallest (25 grams) of our native rodents. It has bigger eyes and ears than the introduced house mouse and no ‘mousy’ smell, but is otherwise similar in size and appearance. Unlike the house mouse the New Holland does not carry disease and does not live with people.
The price of freedom for native rodents is sometimes high: the first New Holland mouse casualty at Mulligan’s Flat was taken by a Tawny Frogmouth on the very first day of release. Sad for the mouse, but great news for predators like the Tawny Frogmouth that can add fresh mouse to its diet for the first time.
FAME and STAR are delighted by the return of the New Holland Mouse to the woodlands of Mulligan’s Flat. The reintroduction means that step one of our project to restore native rodents to the Australian bush is well underway. The STAR project will eventually make the future of three endangered native rodent species more secure. Thanks to all FAME donors who have generously supported this project so far. If you haven’t given yet, please help this important work by sending your contribution to FAME at PO Box 482 MITCHAM SA 5062 or by donating on line at www.fame.org.au
Photos courtesy Arian Wallach. Above left: A young dingo investigates the track of a wild cat in the Simpson Desert. Dingoes are effective at suppressing populations of smaller predators (e.g. cats and foxes) to levels that enable the recovery of threatened prey. Above right: Dingos protect native vegetation from overgrazing.
Dingo project wins 2013 NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research* The dingo: from sinner to saviour? Dingoes are key elements in the struggle to reduce damage caused by kangaroos, foxes and feral cats, according to University of Tasmania Professor Chris Johnson and his colleagues. Far from being vermin, Australia’s dingoes sustain biodiversity and can help land managers control invasive species. For their innovative approach to conservation, Professor Johnson and his team have won the 2013 Australian Museum NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.
Their work shows that dingoes control kangaroo populations and supress foxes and feral cats. As a consequence they’ve found that ecosystems with dingoes have better vegetation condition and more diverse and abundant populations of small native mammals. “Dingoes arouse passionate feelings. This research will change attitudes and help us appreciate their ecological role,” the Director of the Australian Museum, Frank Howarth said. “The dingo looks like being rehabilitated as a useful member of the Australian environment
and the researchers are already putting their work into practice in the management of Evelyn Downs Station near Coober Pedy, 850km north of Adelaide,” he said. The team — which also includes Dr Michael Letnic of the University of New South Wales, Dr Euan Ritchie of Deakin University, Dr Arian Wallach of James Cook University and Adam O’Neill at Evelyn Downs Station — found that dingoes now occupy the top predator role once filled by the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine. They have become a lynchpin of the ecosystem, important to the health of other animals and plants.
* Above article is an extract from Australian Museum press release. Research Team member Arian Wallach shared her thoughts on project outcomes below. This project was supported by FAME.
Dingoes for a new biodiversity, by Arian Wallach The Australian wilderness today is an extraordinary tapestry of the native and the exotic: wild camels cross the deserts in the company of kangaroos, koalas gaze down from the treetops upon deer walking across the forest floor, and wild cats hunt in the darkness alongside quolls. Several new immigrants are now some of the most common and widespread species, and some are associated with extensive biodiversity loss. This has spurred a culture of contempt for ‘alien invasive species’ and a panic-driven conservation agenda based on poisons and guns. Australian conservation shares much in common with commercial gardening: weeding out the pests to protect preferred species. But we are rapidly discovering that Page 2
wilderness is not a garden. We cannot return nature to an idealized past and efforts to do so have consistently backfired. Once species establish in a new region, they become embedded within a complex web of interactions, making it virtually impossible to extract them without triggering a cascade of unforeseen consequences. Most importantly, it is unnecessary. While it is true that foxes can hunt their prey to extinction and rabbits can leave a dustbowl in their wake, there is more to this story. Medium-sized predators and herbivores depend on large ‘top’ predators to keep their populations at sustainable levels, and may become invasive if top predators are absent. Australia’s top predator is the dingo, and we now know
that it is exceptionally successful at keeping their prey and smaller predators in check. Like other top predators around the world, where dingoes recover biodiversity recovers because grazing and predation pressures are kept down. The loss of biodiversity caused by exotic species in Australia is a symptom of the relentless persecution of dingoes since Europeans arrived on these shores. As yet, there are no safe havens for dingoes. Even in national parks the deadly poison 1080 is thrown around like confetti. But change is in the air with the recent acknowledgment of the crucial ecological role of dingoes by the Australian Museum Eureka Prize judges, and perhaps the time is near when conservation practitioners will put down their guns.
Leadbeater’s Possum unlikely to survive: government report A report commission by the Victorian government has predicted that the low population size of Leadbeater’s Possum, the state’s endangered faunal emblem, puts the species at real risk of extinction. What’s more, the existing reserve set aside for Leadbeater’s does not provide enough space for long term survival.
According to research commissioned by the Victoria government, Leadbeater’s Possum is unlikely to survive without more space.
The report from the state government’s Arthur Rylah Institute suggests that tens of thousands more hectares of forest habitat is needed to give Leadbeater’s the best chance of avoiding extinction. Almost half of the 30,500-hectare permanent reserve set aside for Leadbeater’s Possum in Victoria’s central highland forests, was ravaged by the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. These forests are the last refuge for Leadbeater’s. They are also a primary logging area and conservationists and scientists say logging
has contributed to the possum’s decline. The timber industry, on the other hand, says fire is the problem. 46,000 hectares of unburnt, viable Leadbeater’s habitat exists in reserves and national parks, of which the animal likely occupies about 15,000 hectares. Leadbeater’s possums were found at just 29 of 180 sites that were the subject of the research. To have a strong survival chance, the report suggests that 56,000 hectares is needed under a best-case scenario of no bushfires.
Otherwise, the area needs to increase to between 67,000 to 171,000 hectares. The state government has formed a Leadbeater’s advisory group, headed by the timber industry and Zoos Victoria, to consider issues such as the size of habitat reserves. ANU forest expert Professor David Lindenmayer, who headed up the national Leadbeater’s Possum Recovery Team before resigning in protest against a lack of action to save the species, has called for a new highland national park to be established.
JOIN THE ENDANGERED SPECIES CLUB! HELP FAME BUILD A FIGHTING FUND SO WE CAN REACT QUICKLY WHEN OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE WILDLIFE ARISE Monthly giving is good for us, and good for you! A regular monthly gift to FAME means: • We can establish a fighting fund for urgent wildlife projects. • Less paperwork: more of your dollar goes to conservation. • Regular predictable income helps us plan ahead.
You receive: • An annual summary and receipt for tax purposes. • A regular copy of our six-monthly newsletter. • The right to change or cancel your contribution any time on request. • The satisfaction of knowing that your support will help increase FAME’s ability to seek out and support projects that will save endangered wildlife from extinction.
A monthly gift to FAME is easy to arrange. Email the Foundation at fame@fame.org.au and we’ll send you the information. You can also join up via the secure section of our web site www.fame.org.au/donate Page 3
Wikimedia Commons.
Above: The ‘common’ Brush-tailed Possum.
The Brush-tailed Possum in South Australia: is it really ‘common’? The Brush-tailed Possum is a familiar resident of many Adelaide homes and parklands and is often seen or heard stealing fruit or running across rooftops. But is the Brush-tailed Possum really common in South Australia? Most people would be surprised to know that Brush-tailed Possums are actually in decline in most parts of South Australia outside of Adelaide. Once common in nearly all habitat types including the dry deserts, possums have shrunk back to small pockets of highly productive habitat dominated by Eucalypts. Brush-tailed Possums do not need tree hollows. They once used rocky crevices in the NW aboriginal lands in South Australia and underground bettong warrens in the sandy deserts, but now use only tree hollows for shelter. During the 1800 and 1900s, thousands of possums were killed for their skins. Possums are also killed by introduced predators such as foxes and cats. Habitat clearance for agriculture has also reduced possum abundance. Possums can now only survive in areas with good shelter (such as roofs and tree hollows) and high food resources (your fruit trees!) to avoid foxes and cats. Although once common over most of South Australia, Brush-tailed Possums have disappeared from most areas including the northern and central Flinders Ranges. The last record of possums from these areas is thought to be the 1930’s, a time when most of our medium-sized mammals became extinct in South Australia. Possums are still hanging on in Page 4
remnant patches of Eucalypts in the southern Flinders but these populations are vulnerable to extinction. Possum populations in the Murrayland region of South Australia are also in extremely low numbers in small patches of good Eucalypt habitat along the Murray River. Plans to reintroduce the Brush-tailed Possum to the Flinders Ranges National Park are in progress. Long term fox baiting has reduced the fox population significantly and rabbit and goat control has improved habitat. Possums will be reintroduced to creek lines within the Flinders Ranges National Park and monitored using radio collars. It is hoped that the reintroduction is successful and the Brushtailed Possum can once again inhabit semiarid areas where it once thrived. If you live in Adelaide, the next time you hear a possum stomping on your roof you can consider yourself lucky. Adelaide is one of the few strongholds the species has left in South Australia. If a species so adaptable and tough can become extinct over most of South Australia in less than 100 years, what hope is there for the rest of our native wildlife? With FAME’s help, the South Australian Department for Environment hopes to re-establish this species and others, turning the tide on mammalian extinctions and preserving our unique wildlife for generations to come.
About Katherine Moseby Dr Katherine Moseby is a research scientist and ecologist specialising in arid zone fauna. She has a PhD in reintroduction biology and cofounded Arid Recovery in 1997. Katherine was responsible for the successful reintroduction of four nationally threatened mammal species into Arid Recovery including the Greater Bilby and Western Barred Bandicoot. Her main interests include reducing the impacts of introduced predators, improving reintroduction outcomes of Australian mammals and understanding and managing threatened species. Katherine lives with her partner, Dr John Read, on their conservation property on the Eyre Peninsula where they spread their time between managing the property, raising three young girls, volunteering in the Solomon Islands and conducting ecological work in the Australian arid zone. Katherine has been contracted by the SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources to prepare translocation plans for the Western Quoll and Brush-tailed possum into the Flinders Ranges National Park.
Wikimedia Commons.
Why Possums? Most city dwellers wonder why we’d bother to help possums, and why we can’t just take pesky city possums away if they are needed in the bush. If only it was that simple! City possums are fully adapted to live with humans. Our houses and our back yards provide comfy places to nest and an abundant supply of food. These spoilt animals would struggle to survive if they had to forage in the bush and avoid the foxes, owls, goannas, carpet snakes, cats and dogs that want to turn them into food. If we are to successfully bring back the possum to arid Australia in the Flinders Ranges we must find bush possums that can quickly adapt to a new environment. This task is proving harder than expected as possums are disappearing from many bushland areas and we must avoid taking animals from small struggling populations. We are exploring one or two options and hope to have enough animals for translocation to the Flinders by next spring. If we do, native vegetation will benefit. No other animal will feed on the mistletoe that is stressing the magnificent Flinders Ranges red gums, or spread the seeds of important plants like the native orange. Restoring the Brush-tailed Possum to its natural place in the local environment will improve the quality of native vegetation and restore the chain of regeneration. And one important step towards restoring the unique environment of the beautiful Flinders Ranges will be taken. Photos courtesy JJ Harrison.
Above: Northern Possum (Trichosurus arnhemensis northern Australia).
BRUSH-TAILED POSSUM FACTS There are five members of this family of marsupials: • Northern Possum (Trichosurus arnhemensis northern Australia). Well adapted to both urban and rural areas. Can be a pest in large numbers. • Short-eared Possum (Trichosurus caninus north of Sydney) • Mountain Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus cunninghami south eastern Australia). Neither Mountain or Short-eared Possums are known in urban areas. • Coppery Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus johnstonii Atherton Tablelands, Queensland). Rainforest dwellers. Limited distribution, common in their range. • Common Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Most widespread of all possums: found in eastern, northern and some parts of Western Australia and off shore islands. Thrives in cities and a range of natural and modified environments. Protected in all mainland states. Partially protected in Tasmania. Introduced in New Zealand in 1840 and is now widespread and a pest in many places. New Zealand has fewer possum predators than Australia, and eucalypt habitats are less fragmented. Possums exist at higher densities as a result. Page 5
Wanted: a place for endangered species in the new era of Australian philanthropy. Philanthropy. Not long ago this was a foreign word to most Australians. Even though most of us make donations, volunteer for community events or activities, or in some way contribute to causes we care about, we don’t usually think of ourselves as philanthropists. Recently it was announced that Australian mining magnate Twiggy Forest and his wife Nicola are the first Australians to participate in the ‘Giving Pledge’ philanthropic movement begun by US billionaires Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. The Forests have vowed to give half of their wealth away and made an impressive start with a gift of $65m to the University of Western Australia, thought to be the largest single philanthropic donation in Australian history. There is now wide speculation that the Forest’s example will motivate a new era for Australian philanthropy, one that will take us closer to the US experience where ‘giving back’ is normal for people of wealth. You and I are unlikely to go anywhere close to matching this effort, but our relatively small contributions to the causes we care about – including FAME – make an enormous amount of good work possible. Since FAME’s establishment in 1993 the vast majority of funding has been generously provided by individual donors. This is true for most Australian non-profits: as a general rule around 80% of income comes from individual donations. FAME spent many years plugging financial gaps in small to medium sized projects. Often our support (your support) has made it possible to get a project off the ground, but in recent times increased need to protect species from extinction means we are called on to be the leader not the follower. Devil Ark was FAME’s first really big project. John Weigel’s plan to save the Tasmanian
Devil from Devil Facial Tumour Disease had high-level support, but no money. The FAME Board agreed to use reserve funds and call for donations to help set up Devil Ark, and as a result the largest and most successful component of the official mainland insurance population was established and healthy devils are now thriving there. Devil Ark was built by generous FAME donors, all individuals, and a major bequest. None of our donations are anywhere near Twiggy Forest’s effort, but every single donation has been vital to the success of Devil Ark. We are very proud of this achievement, and as a FAME supporter you should be too. With government funding dwindling, public/private partnerships for important environmental projects can be the best way to get things done. This means activity by a government department, funded by the non-profit sector. Such partnerships produce important work that would not otherwise happen. FAME’s next major project: the return of two locally extinct species to their former territory in arid Australia, is a public/private partnership. We plan to reintroduce the Western Quoll or Idnya, and the Brush-tailed Possum or Virlda to South Australia’s Flinders Ranges in 2014. Like Devil Ark, this is a ground breaking project. It is extremely rare for a locally extinct species to be re-established in the wild because usually the causes of extinction are still present. In the case of the Western Quoll
If you know of any individual or organisation who would like to help us reintroduce the Western Quoll and Brush-tailed Possum to arid Australia in the Flinders Ranges please email cheryl.hill@fame.org.au or contact me on 0401 816 162.
- last seen in South Australia more than 100 years ago – and the Brush-tailed Possum – last seen in the Flinders Ranges more than 50 years ago – it is the 20 year government feral control program of Operation Bounceback that will make reintroduction possible. Thanks to Bounceback fox and goat numbers are now the lowest on record. The Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby has made a comeback, and local vegetation cover has improved markedly. Feral predators like foxes and competitors like goats and rabbits, along with land clearance, hunting and finally disease have been responsible for the local extinction of around 15 mammals since colonisation. We hope that bringing back the quoll and the possum will kick start the recovery of the area and set the scene for other reintroductions in the future. Philanthropy – the generosity of people like you and me – will make the return of the Western Quoll and Brush-tailed Possum to arid Australia possible. And for this vitally important project we will be knocking on every available door to find the funds we need. This project is the biggest that FAME has ever undertaken but saving Australian species is our objective and we must make as much noise as we possibly can about why it’s important. And maybe this time the new breed of Australian philanthropists like Twiggy Forest will join us.
Cheryl Hill, Editor and CEO
BEQUESTS HELP FAME OFFER WILDLIFE A FUTURE
Benefits of reintroducing the Western Quoll/ Brush-tailed Possum to the Flinders Ranges:
A bequest to FAME made Devil Ark possible.
• Quolls are top-order predators. The presence of a top predator is vital to the balance of any ecosystem and has a positive influence at all levels down to and including vegetation. • Quolls are known to impact rabbit populations both by eating young rabbits and providing pressure on adult rabbits to avoid quoll habitats. • The presence of Quolls will strengthen tourism in the region, providing motivation to local landholders to move toward sustainable land management practices that promote environmental health. • Western Quolls were once part of Australian ecosystems in every mainland
Without a major injection of funds by FAME it is doubtful that Devil Ark would have been established when it was needed most. Now Devil Ark is home to the largest mainland insurance population of healthy Tasmanian Devils, making the survival of this important species much more likely. If you are considering how to protect endangered Australian wildlife in the future, a bequest to FAME could make it possible to offer these precious creatures and their homes a chance of long-term survival. Please contact Cheryl Hill on 0401 816 162 for a confidential conversation or more information.
Page 6
state, but are now restricted to southwestern WA. The establishment of a population in South Australia will be an important step in the recovery of this species. • Brush-tailed Possums improve the health of native vegetation by controlling the effects of mistletoe and by spreading the seeds of other species e.g. native orange. • Possums thrive in urban areas, but are declining in the bush where they are needed most. • Both the Western Quoll (Idnya) and Brush-tailed Possum (Virlda) are totems of the local Adnyamathanha people, and part of their dreaming.
To all FAME donors: Thanks to you Devil Ark now has a new secure food storage system The arrival of the cool room and freezer units donated to Devil Ark by FAME is much welcomed. These units will allow the storage for one month’s food (2 tonne) for our growing population of healthy Tasmanian Devils. The units arrived just in time to help us through the winter. Winter always sees an increase in the appetites of all of our devils and they eat about 25% more food than their summer diet. At this time too devil mums need more food as they have young to support. The two units will mean we can now safely defrost food ready for food preparation. Food is removed from the freezer and stored in the cool room to defrost for several days then prepared for feed out. The climate at Devil ark means that for some periods of the year it is so cold we have trouble defrosting food rather than freezing it.
The cool room is multi-purpose and can be switched off and used as a defrosting room in winter as it is insulated and warmer than the outside temperature. Simply, in the Barrington Tops the temperature outside can be below zero and freeze the food itself! The new cool room/ freezer storage will help reduce cartage, electricity and staff costs, and help Devil Ark complete the process of becoming a stand-alone facility. Thank you FAME for your precious on-going support. John Weigel and Devil Ark staff
New Devils, new birds, and a thriving environment at Devil Ark Spring at Devil Ark is producing good results again this year. “It’s overwhelmingly positive” says Operations Manager Tim Faulkner. “I can confirm that 15 out of 20 breeding devils had pouch young and this exceeds our expectations. Working on an average of two joeys per female, we will have around 30 new joeys at Devil Ark this year.” This is the third breeding season for Devil Ark, the largest and most successful Tasmanian devil breeding facility in Australia. Previous results were extremely positive, with 26 joeys born in the 2011 and 40 in 2012. Mr Faulkner explains that “We’re not looking to increase the number of joeys born this year, it’s more important to manage the population we have. The great news is that Devil Ark, as a model, is extremely successful and we’re delighted with its progress to date.” Devil Ark is gaining world recognition as a cost effective program with the ability to manage the species genetically. Devil Ark won the Zoo & Aquarium Association award for outstanding achievement in innovation just last year. ZAA hold the stud book that matches devils to maximize the genetics of the species and give the devil the best chance of long term survival in the wild. Devil Ark follows a hands-off approach in its Free Range Enclosures. The animals are monitored through daily observations, remote cameras and using
microchip-reading stations. Unless there is a problem or concern with an animal they are left to be wild, with as little human interaction as possible. This makes quarterly health checks a very exciting time, as staff can see the devils up close face to face while monitoring weight and body condition and giving preventative treatments for internal and external parasites. During breeding season joeys can be seen for the first time in mum’s pouch. The social dynamics (the number of animals living together in large free-range pens) of the pens are working because the females have no injuries. The boys have a few nips on their tails and cheeks, which you would expect from normal Tassie devil roughhousing and competing for females. And the best animals become dads. The devil’s environment is improving, too, as feral weeds are gradually removed. Native flora such as acacias and native grass is returning, thornbills and wrens are flourishing, and a new bird species – the Southern Emu Wren – has been seen in the area, and the Glossy Black Cockatoo has been recorded on site for the first time. Not only are the devils thriving but Devil Ark is improving the native environment at the same time.
Above top: Feeding hungry mums will help these babies thrive. Above: Shiny new food storage facilities will make feeding hungy devils more efficient. Below: Primitive food storage facilities at Devil Ark have been replaced thanks to FAME donors. Photos courtesy Devil Ark.
FAME NEWSLETTER is published by the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species Ltd ABN 79 154 823 579 PO Box 482 MITCHAM South Australia 5062 Tel: 08 8374 1744 Email: fame@fame.org.au Web: www.fame.org.au Articles in this publication can be reproduced with acknowledgement. Page 7
Banded Hare-wallaby returns to Wadderin Sanctuary ONE of the prettiest and daintiest of the wallabies, the Banded Hare-wallaby, has returned to the WA mainland. The Banded Hare-wallaby, believed to have been an early casualty of feral cats and land clearing for agriculture, was last captured on the Australian mainland in 1906. In October, 12 Banded Hare-wallabies were transported from a captive breeding facility to their new home at Wadderin Sanctuary. Wadderin Sanctuary is a FAME priority project. Volunteer Christeen Hannan helped with the journey south and said it was a relief to see all animals emerge fit and well after their long journey and to see them immediately begin to sample the local vegetation. “It is a major transition for them from the red dirt of Shark Bay to the Wheatbelt, where every plant will be unfamiliar to them,” she said. The wallabies were released after dark in front of an audience of Wheatbelt farmers. Biologist Jeff Short, who manages Wadderin Sanctuary on behalf of the Narembeen community, said the wallabies were slow breeders with no defence against introduced predators and little awareness even of the native predators like wedge-tailed eagles. “It’s going to be a nervous wait to see if they can make the transition to the wild after spending all their life in captivity,” Dr Short said. Department of Parks and Wildlife principal zoologist Manda Page said the reintroduction would be monitored to see how the wallabies coped with Wheat belt conditions and to provide information for other possible reintroductions in the future. “Local communities like Narembeen have been really active in creating a secure site for this and other threatened species, giving them the chance to prosper and survive on introduced predator-free islands and in sanctuaries,” Dr Page said. “These are currently the safest places for species such as the Banded Hare-wallaby to survive but with continued efforts to manage introduced predators on the mainland there may be more hope for wild populations in the future.”
Top: Banded Hare-wallaby. Photo courtesy Keven Law. Bottom left: Back in the wild: A radio-collared Banded Hare-wallaby explores its new home at Wadderin Sanctuary. Bottom right: Volunteer John Leask helps biologist Jeff Short release Banded Hare-wallabies at Wadderin. Photos courtesy Christeen Hannan, Wildlife Research and Management.
Previously, the Banded Hare-wallaby survived only on two islands off the coast of Shark Bay where it was protected from feral predators and its future was not considered to be secure. The WA Department of Parks and Wildlife set up a captive breeding population in 1998 in an effort to secure the animals’ future. To date nearly 100 animals have been transferred from this captive breeding facility to nearby Faure Island, a fox and cat-free sanctuary. This new population appears to be secure. However, other fox and cat free locations within the species’ former range are scarce.
In 2007, the 430 hectare Wadderin Sanctuary was set up by the local community and fenced to exclude foxes and feral cats. Wadderin is now home to a rich suite of reintroduced mammals and birds including the critically endangered Woylie (or Brushtailed Bettong), the endangered Red-tailed Phascogale, and the endangered Malleefowl. Other less endangered species reintroduced at Wadderin include the Brush-tailed Possum, the Southern Brown Bandicoot (or Quenda), the Brush Wallaby and the Bush Stone-curlew.
For more information on all projects supported by FAME visit our website at www.fame.org.au
Page 8